Simulation model of impact on reinforced concrete

Abstract This paper proposes a simple but more effective way to perform finite element analyses of impact on reinforced concrete. The equivalent inclusion method is applied and considers the reinforced concrete as a homogeneous material, simplifying the finite element meshes and greatly reducing the computational cost of analyses. Using Mori–Tanaka's average strain theory, the equivalent stiffness matrix of the homogenized material and the associated equivalent material moduli are derived for finite element analyses. The residual velocity at which a projectile penetrates into an equivalent reinforced concrete slab is studied based on the strength of the equivalent material. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the proposed method. One involves the impact of an ogive-nose projectile on a reinforced concrete slab. The FEM computational results obtained using this method are very close to the test data, implying that the proposed method will be promising in future studies of impact analyses of reinforced concrete structures. Another example of 50° oblique impact is then presented to demonstrate the dependence of projectile ricochet upon the impact velocity.